The International Committee to Break the Siege reported in a blog post on the American company X: "We are approximately 175 nautical miles away from reaching Gaza."
She noted that the flotilla was approaching a "high-risk area," stressing that any potential attack on the flotilla "is an attack on Palestine," and demanding "safe passage" for the flotilla's ships.
She added: "We are on high alert as the fleet reaches 10 nautical miles from the high-risk area."
In a related context, the committee stated that the "final call" that an Italian frigate will send to participants in the "Global Resilience Fleet" to abandon their ships and return to shore is "sabotage, not protection."
In a statement on Tuesday, the Italian Foreign Ministry informed the "Resilience Fleet" that the naval frigate accompanying it would soon send a radio call, offering participants an "opportunity" to abandon their ships and return to shore before reaching what it called a "critical area."
The statement added that this action is "an attempt to weaken morale and dismantle a peaceful humanitarian mission that governments have failed to implement themselves, even though their silence and complicity are what led to this point." It noted that "this is cowardice disguised as diplomacy," explaining that "if Italy truly wanted to protect lives, it would not have acted as Israel's savior, nor pressured civilians to retreat. Rather, it would have used its naval fleet to ensure the safe passage of peaceful volunteers to Gaza, to enforce international law, and to deliver life-saving supplies."
The statement emphasized that "every participant on board the ships came fully aware of the risks," and that the participants were "under no false illusions. We are here because remaining silent in the face of genocide, famine, and collective punishment is far more dangerous than setting sail with humanitarian aid."
"The Italian government knows this, yet instead of using its vast naval power to break an illegal blockade, it chooses to escort us only to the point of danger and then attempt to disperse us," he said. He emphasized that "the fleet continues sailing, the Italian Navy will not be able to obstruct this mission, the humanitarian demand to break the blockade cannot be withdrawn to port, and our moral responsibility cannot be abandoned at sea."
Earlier on Tuesday, the Italian General Staff announced that its frigate, the Albino, which is accompanying the Global Resilience Flotilla, will be able to receive activists who wish to leave the flotilla's ships, and that it will send a "final appeal" to each ship regarding this matter.
For their part, Greek activists participating in the Global Steadfastness Flotilla affirmed their determination to reach the Gaza Strip and that they are not afraid of any potential Israeli attack.
For days, ships participating in the flotilla have been sailing toward Gaza, carrying humanitarian aid. The Steadfastness Flotilla includes the Freedom Flotilla Union, the Global Gaza Movement, the Steadfastness Flotilla, and the Malaysian "Sumud Nusantara" organization.
This is the first time that dozens of ships have sailed together toward the Gaza Strip, home to approximately 2.4 million Palestinians and under Israeli siege for nearly 18 years.
Israel has tightened its blockade since March 2, closing all crossings into Gaza and preventing any food, medicine, or humanitarian aid from entering the Strip. This has plunged the Strip into famine despite the backlog of aid trucks at its borders.
With American support, Israel has been committing genocide in Gaza since October 7, 2023, leaving 66,097 martyrs and 168,536 wounded, most of them children and women, and a famine that has claimed the lives of 453 Palestinians, including 150 children.
